Saturday, April 25, 2015

Jenner, Gender & Sexuality

Olympian & media mogul Bruce Jenner has forever changed the conversation for the civil rights of our transgender community in the two-hour riveting interview with Diane Sawyer on ABC's 20/20. We’ve all been watching Jenner’s appearance change from the outside but in this brave interview Jenner gently shared & articulated an intimate lifelong journey from deep within his soul as millions of people watched declaring ‘I Am A Woman.’ Bruce who asked that we use the familiar pronouns “him” or “he” when talking about this interview opened up for the first time about his gender & sexuality. Jenner’s individual story will change the conversation forever & provide a positive spin on this human issue. Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD President & CEO stated, “Bruce Jenner’s story is helping people understand what it means to be transgender & inspiring them to learn more about the challenges that face their transgender friends, co-workers & family members…Together, we can accelerate acceptance.” The next level of Jenner’s story will appear in a new E! Network eight episode series that will debut on July 26th. Jenner will be an executive producer of the series along with Bunim/Murray Productions which also produces the "Kardashians." Jeff Olde, an executive vice president at E!, called Jenner an inspiration & stated, "We are proud to be entrusted with this deeply personal & important story." So we now enter a new beginning of a conversation long overdue for our transgender & LGBT community.
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1 Comments:

Thanks for sharing this. After reading your blog I have a clearer understanding as to why Bruce presented as male, choice of pronouns, etc. last night. Now it makes perfect sense because there is a follow up series in the works. I am pleased to hear that Bruce will continue the journey through the 8 episode series which will debut on July 26th. I believe that she is very sincere in her desire to make a real difference in the world and how trans persons are viewed in society. She certainly has the name and media attention to attract a huge audience to her series. To whom much is given, much is expected and I really feel that she gets this and will use her celebrity status to educate. Let's face it, times are changing and while minds are beginning to open perhaps she is the one who will open those minds even further.

I watched last night with an open mind and was hoping for the very best and I was not disappointed. In fact, I felt really good about the unfolding of the interview. I feel that Diane Sawyer, for the most part did a great job of creating a very sensitive interview and included the real issues faced by so many. I was truly grateful to see the coverage of the struggles of so many transpersons journeys including the suicide rates and brutal murders. Through the inclusion of such strong advocates for transgender rights and medical professionals she was able to share that not all trans journeys are the same.

I would like to specifically thank Jenny Boylan, Janet Mock, Diego Miguel Sanchez, PFLAG National, and Dr. Norman Spack for agreeing to participate in the interview.

Our Board had a wonderful opportunity to meet with Dr. Spack last year. He was very generous with his time as we shared our vision of Promise Place School. Dr. Spack is very involved with youth homelessness and is a member of the Board for Bridge Over Troubled Waters. He is amazing in his commitment to educate the world as we have seen from his TED Talks and his recruitment of endocrinologists and the time he gives to educate on healthcare for trans youth.

I am looking forward to the upcoming series and hope that the producers will include all of the issues faced by the transgender community.